


Dragon Breeders

by Terpia



Series: Dragon Breeders [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: (it's set in 1905 but that doesn't really impact the plot), Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, historical-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 03:37:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17573126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Terpia/pseuds/Terpia
Summary: Phil is a dragon breeder, awaiting the arrival of a new dragon. However, when it finally gets there, it is the delivery man that catches his eye.





	Dragon Breeders

**Author's Note:**

> Written for phandomficfest, inspired by the game Dragon City.
> 
> A big thank you to insectbah for being a wonderful beta!

Phil stood by the road, propped on a fence surrounding his father’s ranch. Well, technically _his_ ranch now, since his father had retired a few weeks ago. Phil still had trouble getting used to the idea. He was waiting for another dragon breeder, a man called Robert Howell. Although Phil has never met him before, his father has had some business dealings with the man in the past. Just before he retired, his father gave Mr. Howell a young Gummy dragon, with an understanding that he’d get a Dark dragon, after it hatches, in return. About three months have passed since then and it seemed that the baby dragon was finally ready to begin her new life at the Lester ranch. Mr. Howell was supposed to deliver the dragon at noon.

Phil took out his pocket watch. It was twenty past, and Howell was still nowhere in sight. Phil sighed. He wondered briefly whether to just return to work, but knowing his luck, the moment he’d start working the breeder would arrive. He sagged against the fence. It’s not like he couldn’t be spending this time better. He had another baby dragon to take care of.

Phil felt worry gnawing at him. It was the same worry that has been gnawing at him for the last two weeks, since the hatching of the Nature dragon.

The Nature dragon was the first dragon that had hatched under Phil’s care. Although he had assisted his father and his employees with training and caring for newly hatched dragons before, Phil had never yet been responsible for taking care of a baby dragon all by himself. In theory, he could of course ask any of the hired caretakers to help him with this task at any time. In practice, however, he wasn’t quite sure how he could do that and still be able to look his father in the eye. It was a family rite of passage, something that each Lester who inherited the ranch did with their first hatched dragon. It was the first real test of his skills as a dragon breeder, not to mention a chance for a truly wonderful bond to develop. Phil’s father was inseparable from his first dragon, a Butterfly breed. Grandma’s Lightning dragon was with her when she died. Whole generations of Lesters have had incredible life-long friendships with their dragons. When it became clear that Phil’s first dragon would be a Nature dragon, he was so excited. They were his favourite breed, with their brightly coloured scales and friendly nature. Not to mention the adorable giant leaf that all Nature dragons had on the top of their head, that grew with them as they developed. Phil couldn’t wait to meet his presumed new best friend.

The reality turned out to differ somewhat from his expectations. Not Phil’s love for the dragon, oh no. He loved her just as much as he thought he would. The moment he laid his eyes on her green body, he knew that he’d willingly lay down his life for her. What turned out to be different was the baby dragon herself. All the Nature dragons that Phil had met so far had been very friendly, curious and energetic. This dragon, however, was extremely wary of people and other dragons alike, hiding whenever someone stepped into her enclosure and squealing pitifully when they got too close. Although she was becoming somewhat used to Phil, she still didn’t exactly like or trust him, running away if he moved too fast or said something too loudly. The thought of petting her seemed like an unachievable fantasy.

Another unexpected problem turned out to be her leaf. Phil’s dragon’s leaf was even bigger than usual and evidently too heavy for her to control. It kept tangling around her legs as she walked and tripping her over, which predictably resulted in even more squealing. Phil’s heart broke when he saw her so distressed; however, any solution to this problem would require him to touch her for some period of time, and for all her timidity, she was still a dragon with a set of nice, sharp teeth to prove it.

The sound of a nearing automobile abruptly ended his musings. The black and red vehicle was moving at an alarming speed; however, it began to slow down as it drew closer, only to come to a stop right in front of him. There was a large box with holes in it strapped to the back of it.

The driver of the automobile got out and took off his goggles. He was about the same height as Phil, maybe an inch or two taller. His light brown curls were fashionably styled, albeit rather ruffled, no doubt due to the mad ride that brought him to the ranch. His black suit was well-fitted, highlighting his slim frame and broad shoulders. The man’s warm brown eyes were apologetic. He said, “I am so sorry for being late Mr. Lester. I severely underestimated how much time it would take me to prepare the dragon for the journey.”

“Mr. Robert Howell?” Phil said stupidly. Good Lord, he had not expected him to be this handsome. Or this somberly dressed for that matter. Next to him, Phil’s blue vest and tan suit seemed almost inappropriately bright.

“His son, actually.” The man extended his hand. “Daniel Howell, but please, feel free to call me Dan.”

“In that case, you should call me Phil.” Phil shook Dan’s hand. “And don’t worry about being late, happens to the best of us.” He turned his attention to the box. “I assume that this is the dragon in question?”

Dan nodded. “Indeed. Slippery witch.” At the startled look from Phil, he smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I’m just a bit cross with her at the moment. The little beast decided to be difficult this morning and led me and two other caretakers on a wild chase around her enclosure. Three adults running around in circles after a small dragon. It took us over half an hour to catch her.”

Phil laughed. “I imagine it was quite a sight. Though I must ask, isn’t being fast and evasive one of the main characteristics of Dark dragons? I would have thought that you’d have some special equipment to catch them.”

“We do. However, they’re usually not quite this fast or this evasive so soon after hatching. All the equipment we have is meant for larger dragons. She easily slipped through it.” As he spoke, Dan was unstrapping the box. When he finished, he wrapped his long arms around it and lifted it. Something like grief briefly crossed his features. “Well, dear girl, this is it. You’re home now. Shall I bring her inside?” He directed the last question at Phil.

Phil nodded. “If you wish.”

As they walked, Phil glanced curiously at Dan. Although he looked perfectly composed now, Phil was fairly sure he hadn’t imagined the expression of sadness before, as fleeting as it was. Cautiously, he decided to breach the topic. “You seemed a bit sad earlier. Are you much attached to her?”

Dan blinked. “The dragon? Well, she’s barely over a week old and a horrible rascal at that. I should be happy to have her out of my hands before she gets big and starts causing trouble everywhere she goes.” His laugh sounded thoroughly unconvincing.

“You know,” Phil said seriously, “if you want to come and visit her, feel free to do so anytime, as often as you’d like. Regardless of whether that’s just once all together or once a week.”

A startled pause. “Really?”

“Aye. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see someone from her old home around. Not to mention that I’ll probably need some extra help with her sooner or later, what with all the troublemaking you mentioned and such.” Phil grinned at him.

The smile he received from Dan in return was breathtaking.

Suddenly, distressed squealing erupted from somewhere close to them. Phil didn’t even have to think; he immediately knew which of the dragons it was coming from. He quickly ran to her enclosure.

The Nature dragon was lying on the ground, her leaf between her legs. She must have accidentally scratched it with her claw, as there was an ugly red line running across it. She was unsuccessfully trying to get up, squealing all the while. At Phil’s sudden appearance, she let out a startled yelp and started moving even more frantically.

“It’s okay, darling. Everything’s okay.” Phil spoke as soothingly as he could, reaching slowly into his pocket to take out a dragon snack that he made sure to  always carry with him, just in case of situations like this.

Dan appeared behind him, slowed down by the large box he was still carrying. “What happened? Is everything fine?”

Before Phil could answer, the box in Dan’s hands started to violently shake. Dan let out an oath and tried to hold it down, but the dragon inside somehow managed to make a hole in it. She burst out from the box, jumping gracefully on the ground inside the enclosure. The dragon was pitch black, with vibrant green eyes and small, pale blue diamond-shaped patches decorating her chest.

The sudden appearance of another dragon startled the Nature dragon into silence. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. Then the Dark dragon started moving towards her.

Phil didn’t breathe. All of the Nature dragon’s interactions with other members of her species so far had been characterised by the same fear and distrust she had shown towards humans. He awaited the inevitable explosion of panic.

An explosion that didn’t come. The Dark dragon was emitting strange melodic sounds, the likes of which Phil had never heard before. It almost sounded as if she was singing. Whatever the sounds were, they had an almost magical effect on the Nature dragon, her body visibly relaxing. She calmly let the other dragon nudge the leaf from around her legs and then to lick the red scratch running across it.

Phil couldn’t believe his eyes. “This is amazing,” he said, turning to Dan. “She has never let anyone even touch her before, much less do something like this!”

“Incredible.” For a moment, Dan looked as shocked as Phil. Then suddenly, he turned to Phil with a smile that made his heart beat faster. “People always say that opposites attract. And you know, I myself happened to be thinking that just a few minutes ago.”

“Funny,” Phil said weakly, “I was just thinking that too.”

It seemed that the baby dragon provided an opportunity for more than just one new bond to be made.

**Author's Note:**

> If you were wondering why Dan needed goggles to drive, this is the car he was driving: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/oldsmobile/curved-dash/1902/170658
> 
>  
> 
> My tumblr: terpia.tumblr.com. Come and chat with me if you want!


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